


cracked hourglass, dead man walking

by 90kg_anvil



Series: 3H Kinkmeme Fills [8]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Mental Health Issues, Mentioned My Unit | Byleth, minimal angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-14 11:46:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29666784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/90kg_anvil/pseuds/90kg_anvil
Summary: Originally written for and posted on the 3H Kinkmeme.He does not pity her the short time she has left.She does not flinch at his need for revenge.And in a funny coincidence, they're both afraid of ghosts.Prompt:Dimitri/Lysithea. Anything with themThat's it.The kink is...idk, a story existing? lol really I want anything with them
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Lysithea von Ordelia
Series: 3H Kinkmeme Fills [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2148606
Comments: 3
Kudos: 17





	cracked hourglass, dead man walking

**Author's Note:**

> idk man sometimes a rarepair is presented to you like an obscure but interesting recipe and you decide to fuck around and find out. and then sometimes you end up with a meal that you actually enjoy. so anyway heres some food for the other dimisythea shippers, who statistically have to exist _somewhere_
> 
> warnings for canon-typical violence and dimitri-typical mental health issues, but this isnt particularly angsty

Lysithea joins the Blue Lions three weeks before Professor Byleth is sent to the Holy Tomb to await a divine revelation.

There are so many people in the class that it feels like she barely has time to say hello to everyone, but Dimitri, even through his palpable anxiety and obvious headaches, manages to take the time to eat a quick lunch with her, welcoming her to the class and making small talk to get to know each other. It's... sweet, honestly, even if they're both wasting time. He even laughs when she tells him this, then offers up his dessert without commenting on how she hasn't eaten her vegetables. He then thanks her for her time, offers to help her with anything she might need, and wishes her the best in her studies.

He doesn't try to adopt her as a little sister, even though so many have tried their hardest to. He doesn't imply she needs to be sheltered or protected, even though that's how he treats his fellow classmates in mock battles. He doesn't talk about how small or weak she is, even though they discuss the way the class structure tends to favor physical skills.

She decides, right then and there, that the two of them could actually become friends.

They meet up in the library a few times by accident, both of them frantically searching late into the night, and in the way you can only get to know someone when you're both profoundly sleep-deprived at three in the morning, they tell each other what they're looking for.

The sinister force operating in the shadows who must have orchestrated his family's murder sounds a whole hell of a lot like the people that killed off most of hers. There's even an overlap in potential culprits: Volkhard von Arundel.

He does not pity her the short time she has left.

She does not flinch at his need for revenge.

And in a funny coincidence, they're both afraid of ghosts.

They make plans to meet up for tea after the Professor's whole revelation in the Holy Tomb thing.

Instead, she watches him crush a man's skull with his bare hands, and then the world falls into war.

\---

A lot of things can change in five years, but that doesn't mean Lysithea is prepared to see Dimitri the way he is now, like a restless spirit cursed to wander the land until the flesh falls off his bones.

Dimitri startles awake when she gets too close to him, grabbing his lance and shooting to his feet.

"Don't even think about it," she says, summoning the beginnings of Swarm Z to her fingertips. Carrion birds for a dead man walking. To his credit, he does not move, merely watching her with a wary eye. "I'm just here to bring you food."

"Why?"

This is the first time she's heard him speak since they all came back. "Why what?"

"Why waste your time on a corpse?"

They were friends, once. "We have a common enemy. Who's going to fight the Empire if you're dead?"

He barks out a laugh that rings hollow and miserable through the cathedral, then his attention drifts to something to the left and in front of her, and a wave of sickening fear crosses his face. He starts apologizing quietly, hands gripping his lance tight enough the metal shaft starts to dent under his fingertips.

Even five years ago, he was scared of ghosts.

Lysithea puts the plate of food she brought on the pew nearest to him, and he startles at the sound of it, eye flickering back to her.

"Keep up your strength," she says, and walks away.

As the cathedral doors close behind her, she turns around to see if he's even moved.

Lance cradled in the crook of his elbow, he picks up the plate and begins to eat.

\---

Lysithea visits him periodically, but for the most part she keeps her distance.

She tries to tell herself it's a safety thing --- she's small and physically weak enough that anyone in the monastery could easily wring her neck, and Dimitri once ripped the wing off a wyvern with his bare hands --- and even tells Byleth that she's glad they're leading the war instead of someone as volatile as Dimitri, but at the end of the day, she hates to see a friend in pain and not be able to do anything about it.

It's worse for his childhood friends, of course, and it's genuinely troubling when even Dedue's return does little to affect him, and she doesn't even care about Faerghus anyway, so she should worry more about removing her Crests and taking down the Empire and whether or not she's even going to live until tomorrow.

Still.

The morning after Gronder, Dimitri walks into the war council, hair and face cleaner than before, furs stinking like a wet dog instead of rotting gore, eye clear and coherent as he apologizes to each of them for what he did in the throes of his madness.

For the first time in five years, Lysithea has hope for the future of Fódlan.

\---

As they head from Enbarr to Garreg Mach, Dimitri pulls Lysithea aside.

"I know that you wish to restore Ordelia, but I remember what you told me five years ago about your two Crests. You haven't... found a cure yet, have you?"

"No," she says, and having the full force of his honesty directed at her is almost too much. "I'm surprised you remembered that."

He nods, regal even with his eye downcast. "You were one of very few people at the time who treated me as if I wasn't inherently a threat. As if I were a person worthy of friendship. But to the heart of the matter," he continues, as if what he said isn't concerning after he supposedly got rid of his ghosts, "if you decide to pursue a cure, I would make sure that Ordelia is restored. I know that Ferdinand would be happy to assist, and he'll already be in the area rebuilding Hrym, but if you wish for someone else, you need only name them. You would, of course, get as much funding as you needed."

"Why?"

He's confused. "Why what?"

"I've heard you talk about the reforms you want to make. Food for all, infrastructure, universal education, health clinics for the poor. That all requires money. Why waste it elsewhere?"

He reaches out to take her hands in his, and she lets him. "Would you accept the answer that I wish to help out a friend?"

Lysithea shakes her head. "That's sweet, but you're the king now. Give your sympathy to the people who have nothing."

Dimitri does not take it for an answer. Good. He's less of a pushover than he was in their Academy days. "Since you insist I put this in terms of Fódlan's benefit: you have been one of the more vocal supporters of the policies I wish to carry out. Even if you do not join the council as a member, your opinions on policy are invaluable. But please, Lysithea, as someone who cares for you, I implore you to find a cure. All of us want a world with you in it."

It's extremely blunt in the way it only can be when someone's said something similar to you.

"And you'll allow me to restore Ordelia at the same time?"

There's hope in his eye. "Of course, but I only hope that you do not overwork yourself."

Lysithea nods and gives his hands a little squeeze. "Right back at you, Your Majesty."

\---

"It's... strange," she admits, "to know I'll have a future."

They'd been exchanging letters frequently, both of them talking about every breakthrough and drawback they've had, their good and worse days, the threat of insurrection and her long recovery after her Crests were removed, and it feels so good to finally see him.

Dimitri hums sympathetically. "I understand how you feel."

He had sent her several letters to this effect: he had wanted to die for so long that sometimes he doesn't quite know what to do with himself now that he's wanted to start living.

"Yeah," she says, and goes back to looking at the stars.

"Do you think you'll return to your family?" Dimitri asks.

"I don't know," she admits. "Now that they're safe and our territory is restored, I don't exactly have much else to do."

"You could move here to Fhirdiad if you wished," he says, watching the city below them. "The Royal School of Sorcery would be lucky to have a researcher like you."

"I think I've studied enough for a lifetime," she laughs.

He turns to look at her, surprised. "Oh? I thought you liked research."

"I do. It's just... different, now that my life isn't on the line."

He nods. "Then what would you like to do?"

She shrugs. "Bake, maybe? Go into politics? I know I renounced my noble title, but I really enjoyed the challenge of rebuilding. I don't know. I'll figure it out."

Dimitri hums. "Well, whatever it is you wish to do, I will be here for you."

She moves closer, entwining their fingers where they rest on the balcony. "Thanks, Dimitri."

\---

Lysithea's jaw drops. "Dimitri?! What are you doing here?"

Dimitri flusters as the other customers in the store turn to look at the cause of the disturbance. He walks up to the counter, pulling his hood closer like it at all hides he's the Savior King, and Lysithea directs Jess to take over the register.

"It's the grand opening of the bakery you spent the past year planning for," he says with a shy smile. "I would never miss it."

She waves him off. "You rescheduled your morning meetings for some cakes?"

"You are very dear to me," and no, she's not imagining him blushing.

She hums, unable to stop herself from smiling. "Well, then, my dear, what sweets would you like?"

\---

_**The Savior King and The Wise Queen** _

_Dimitri assumed the throne of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus and spent his life ruling justly over Fódlan. After the war, Lysithea worked to restore Ordelia while teaming up with scholars to extend her lifespan and remove her Crests. After all her efforts bore fruit, she renounced her noble claim and opened a bakery in Fhirdiad with her parents. Lysithea and Dimitri exchanged many letters over this time, then fell into a courtship, marrying several years later. Their reign was heralded as the beginning of a new era, with a particular focus on improving living situations for orphans, improving foreign relations, and instituting class reforms. They worked ceaselessly and tirelessly for the sake of their people, and were thusly dubbed The Savior King and The Wise Queen; however, no matter how busy they were, they were said to always make time for each other, and they enjoyed every moment spent together._

**Author's Note:**

> finally de-anoning to post my kinkmeme fills here


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